Topping the dish with slices of last-of-the-season heirloom tomatoes sprinkled with butter soaked Brio breadcrumbs was perfection itself. I could have used a higher fiber, healthier pasta, such as Dreamfields, but I wanted this dish to look like the blue box kind, with surprising and delightful differences. Plain elbow macaroni was the only way to go. Judging from the comments I received last night, I was right. Luckily for me, most of it was readily consumed, leaving just a bit for leftovers today. First thing tomorrow I'll climb back on that low carb wagon...

Macaroni and Cheese

Inspired by Ina Garten's Mac and Cheese, from The Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook

Fill a large pot with water, add salt and olive oil and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until just tender. Drain in a colander and set aside. Reserve pot.

In a saucepan, heat the 1/2 & 1/2 just to a simmer (small bubbles will form around the sides of the pot). Set aside, off heat.

In the pot used to cook the macaroni, melt 6 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour, whisking constantly and cook for about 2 minutes, incorporating all the flour into the butter, creating a smooth paste (this is called a roux).

Add the warm milk to the roux, again whisking constantly, until a thick, smooth white sauce has formed. Add the marjoram and cook for 2 minutes more.

Remove the sauce from the heat and add the cheeses, salt, pepper and nutmeg, stirring with a wooden spoon until the cheeses are melted.

Stir the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce and pour into an oblong, 3 quart glass baking dish, smoothing the surface.

Bake in the oven, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. When done, the cheese sauce will be bubbly, the top will be a golden brown and your first bite will transport you to mac n cheese heaven.

To make the breadcrumbs for this dish, place about 2 cups of your favorite seasoned croutons (mine are from Brio Breadworks in Arcata) in a food processor and pulse until you've made fine crumbs. Measure 1 cup of crumbs and place in a bowl. Drizzle the 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the crumbs and mix with your fingers until the butter is fully incorporated. Leftover crumbs can be place in a freezer bag and stored in your freezer for a future use.

10 comments:

Nice to see you back. It sounded like a wonderful trip. I love the idea of topping this with the tomatoes. I would use the Dreamfields, because honestly, I can't tell any difference in it, but I think indulging in something once in a while just because you want to eat it is healthy!

Hi Kalyn,It's good to be back. I'm still a bit under the weather from a flu I picked up somewhere between the east and west coasts, but am beginning to think about what I'm going to cook tomorrow. And the next day. Always a good sign.Next time I make this I will definitely use the Dreamfields.

Hello there Catherine,Yes, our vacation was wonderful indeed! I'm still sorting through photos, trying to determine which to put on my blog. Thanks for your comments about my mac n cheese. From a gal who really knows her cheeses, I feel very complimented.

This dish looks to die for! I've been a HUGE mac n cheese fan since I was a little girl and the photograph that features above the recipe won me over! I'd love to replicate it although sadly don't have alot of the ingredients available to me here in Australia. So for now I'll just oggle over your photographs and dream of a magical holiday in the USA filled with great guilt free indulgance and exotic foods! <3